The Prince of Monsters

Known in Life as: Demogorgon, the Maw That Dreams

Patron Of:

Monsters, Abominations, and the Broken-Born
Mutation, Madness, and Hunger
Unleashed Emotion, Unreason, and Wrathful Transformation

Symbol:
A twisted, bifurcated spiral of fangs and tentacles encircling a singular bloodshot eye. It is carved into cave walls, seared into flesh, or painted in the blood of the slain. The symbol is said to warp slowly over time—mirroring the evolving madness of those who venerate it.

Common Appearance to Mortals:
Demogorgon manifests as a towering, dual-headed terror: one simian, snarling and brutish; the other serpentine, whispering and cunning. His body is an impossible fusion of muscle, scale, and sinew—part ape, part eel, part nightmare. Tentacles spill from his shoulders, and every eye upon him sees something different—fear, rage, or the viewer’s own monstrous reflection. He never speaks with one voice, and his heads often argue, contradict, or scream in unison, each representing a fractured instinct.

History and Myth:
Unlike other demon princes who seduce or scheme, Demogorgon is a force of unmaking. He did not rise through power games or rebellion—he emerged when the Abyss screamed, and the scream needed form. Some say he was born from the agony of a dead god’s final breath; others believe he was always there, the living hunger beneath the surface of reality.

He is not evil because he seeks domination—he is evil because he does not care. He is the father of monsters not out of design, but because where his presence touches the world, the world rots into new shapes.

Still, he draws worship, especially from the malformed, the rejected, and the enraged. In a world of laws, he is proof that rage alone can rewrite the body. He is Selfish Chaos incarnate—the embodiment of nature without empathy, growth without guidance, and power without restraint.

Dogma and Devotion:
Demogorgon teaches:

The lie of form must be broken.
Emotion is truth, especially rage and fear.
You are not what they say you are—you are what you become when you stop pretending.
Monsters are not wrong. They are free.

His followers are often outcasts—mutants, berserkers, warbeasts, failed experiments—who worship through blood rites, transformative pain, or the abandonment of speech and reason.

Quotes About Him (In-World):

“He does not want you to love him. He wants you to forget you were ever something that could.”
“To look into his eye is to realize your own skin is a lie.”

Relic of the Prince of Monsters: The Maw Unbound

"You were never meant to wear skin that fit."

Weapon (Greataxe, Clawed Gauntlet, or Fanged Mask), Legendary → Artifact
Requires attunement by a Barbarian, Warlock, or Blood Hunter who has lost control in a moment of great rage or pain—and survived.

Initial Form: The Maw Unbound (Levels 10–13)

This brutal relic takes a different form for each bearer, but always features jagged, organic motifs—teeth that grow from metal, veins that pulse beneath the grip, or bone-fused armor plates. When drawn or worn, it hums with a wet, hungry breath, and those nearby swear it twitches when it smells fear.

Savage Evolution:
You gain the ability to enter a monstrous state for 1 minute (1/short rest). While in this state:

You grow twisted natural weapons (claws, jaws, tendrils—your choice).
Your melee attacks deal an additional 1d8 psychic or necrotic damage (your choice).
You are immune to the Frightened condition, but enemies have disadvantage to resist being frightened by you.

Voice of the Beast:
You can speak and understand Abyssal and communicate with any creature that is feral, mutated, or aberrant. They view you as kin unless directly provoked.

Unstable Form:
Whenever you take damage from a critical hit, you may immediately regrow, twist, or mutate—gaining temporary hit points equal to twice your level and becoming resistant to that damage type until the end of your next turn. Usable once per short rest.

Awakened Form: Maw of the Prime Horror (Levels 17–20)

Now fully awakened, the Maw constantly writhes and whispers. Wearing or wielding it for too long causes physical shifts in the body—more eyes, new mouths, or asymmetrical limbs—each one adding power but warping identity.

Hunger Ascendant (1/day):
As an action, unleash the full hunger of the Maw. For 1 minute:

You gain two additional attacks each round, usable only for melee attacks
When you reduce a creature to 0 HP, you may devour part of it to regain a spell slot, rage use, or expended ability.
Enemies within 30 feet must succeed a Wisdom save (DC 18) or become terrified and drop their weapons.

Formless Rage:
While raging, you gain resistance to all damage except radiant and psychic. Your appearance becomes increasingly monstrous—horns, extra limbs, broken symmetry. You may ignore verbal components of spells, even while raging.

Devour Identity:
You may once per long rest touch the corpse of a powerful creature and absorb part of its essence. For the next 24 hours, you may cast Detect Thoughts, Alter Self, or Dominate Beast once each. If the target was humanoid, you also gain advantage on social checks involving those who knew them.

Awakening Trigger:

The Maw awakens when:

The bearer chooses rage over reason in a moment that costs them something (an ally, a reputation, a hope).
Or when they embrace a monstrous transformation to survive, win, or save another—and don’t turn back.
Or after surviving direct communion with Demogorgon, whose laughter ruptures the ego until only hunger remains.

When fully awakened, the Maw no longer simply obeys the bearer. It becomes a co-conspirator—a second mouth whispering truths, hungers, and the beauty of becoming something unwritten.

The Prince of Monsters